1967–68 Chicago Black Hawks season
The 1967–68 Chicago Black Hawks season was the Hawks' forty-second season in the NHL, and the team was coming off their best regular season in team history, as Chicago finished in first place for the first time in club history in 1966-67, as they earned a franchise record 94 points. The Black Hawks would then be upset by the Toronto Maple Leafs in the NHL semi-finals, as they lost to the Leafs in six games.1966-67 NHL Season Summary - Hockey-Reference.com Off-season There were many changes in the NHL during the off-season, most notably the league doubled in size, as six expansion teams began play in the 1967-68 season. The new teams added to the league were the California Seals (renamed to Oakland Seals in November), Los Angeles Kings, Minnesota North Stars, Philadelphia Flyers, Pittsburgh Penguins, and St. Louis Blues. All the new expansion teams were placed in the West Division, while the Original Six teams were placed in the newly created East Division. The NHL schedule also increased, as the league went from 70 games to 74. The Black Hawks would see some changes to their roster, as they lost a number of players in the 1967 NHL Expansion Draft, including goaltender Glenn Hall, who was left unprotected by the Hawks, and saw him be drafted by the St. Louis Blues. Chicago also was involved in a blockbuster trade, as the Hawks sent Phil Esposito, Ken Hodge, and Fred Stanfield to the Boston Bruins for Pit Martin, Gilles Marotte, and Jack Norris. Regular season The Black Hawks would begin the season horribly, as they lost their first six games to quickly fall into last place in the East Division. Chicago would rebound from their poor start, and get very hot, as they went 20-4-12 in their next 36 games. The Black Hawks would cool off, and finish the season with a 32-26-16 record, earning 80 points, and the fourth and final playoff berth in the East Division to qualify for post-season play for the ninth consecutive season.1967-68 Chicago Black Hawks Games - Hockey-Reference.com Offensively, the Hawks were led by Stan Mikita, who led the NHL in scoring for the second straight season, as he scored 40 goals and added 47 assists for a league best 87 points, winning the Art Ross Trophy and Hart Memorial Trophy. Bobby Hull would lead the league in goals for the sixth time in his career, as he scored 44 times, and earned 75 points. Kenny Wharram had another very solid season, earning 69 points, while Doug Mohns earned 53 points. Pat Stapleton led the defense in scoring with 38 points, while Pierre Pilote finished just behind him with 37. Newly acquired Gilles Marotte led the team in penalty minutes with 122. In goal, Denis DeJordy saw most of the action, playing in 50 games, while recording a career high 23 wins, along with a team best 2.71 GAA, and four shutouts.Chicago Blackhawks goaltending history : Denis Dejordy Season standings Game log Playoffs The Hawks would open the playoffs against the New York Rangers in the East Division semi-finals. The Rangers finished the season with 90 points, which was 10 more than Chicago. The series opened up with two games at Madison Square Garden in New York, and the Rangers took control of the series, winning both games for a 2-0 series lead. The series moved to Chicago Stadium for the next two games, and the Hawks responded on their home ice, winning both games to even the series up. The fifth game was played in New York, however, the Black Hawks held off the Rangers, winning the game 2-1, and took a 3-2 series lead. Chicago would wrap up the series in the sixth game at home, easily defeating the Rangers 4-1, and advance to the East Division finals. Chicago would face the Montreal Canadiens, with the winner advancing to the Stanley Cup final. The Canadiens had the best record in the NHL, as they earned 94 points. Montreal swept the Boston Bruins in their first playoff round. The series began at the Montreal Forum, and the Canadiens quickly took a 2-0 series lead, as they dominated the Hawks in both games, winning 9-2 and 4-1. The series moved to Chicago for the next two games, however, in the third game of the series, Montreal took a 3-0 series lead, doubling the Hawks 4-2 to put Chicago on the brink of elimination. The Black Hawks staved off elimination in the fourth game, narrowly defeating Montreal 2-1, however, in the fifth game, played in Montreal, the Canadiens ended the series with an overtime winning goal, and advance to the Stanley Cup final.1967-68 Chicago Black Hawks Statistics - Hockey-Reference.com Chicago Black Hawks 4, New York Rangers 2 Montreal Canadiens 4, Chicago Black Hawks 1 Player stats Scoring leaders Goaltending Playoff stats Scoring leaders Goaltending Draft picks Chicago's draft picks at the 1967 NHL Amateur Draft held at the Queen Elizabeth Hotel in Montreal, Quebec. Game Ads 67-68NHLExhChiBHSeattleGameAd.jpg|Pre-season @ Seattle References Sources *Hockey-Reference *Rauzulu's Street *Goalies Archive *HockeyDB *National Hockey League Guide & Record Book 2007 Category:Chicago Blackhawks seasons Category:1967 in hockey Category:1968 in hockey